


Pub Quiz

by kscribbles



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Angst, Episode Tag, Episode: s04e13 Journey's End, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-19
Updated: 2013-01-19
Packaged: 2017-11-26 00:56:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/644774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kscribbles/pseuds/kscribbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Weve got most of this basket of chips, Doc, and youve got a story to tell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pub Quiz

**Author's Note:**

> Jack and the Doctor have words. Takes place post Journey's End, so spoilers through S4. Thanks to The Bitter Rose for the beta. Written in 2008 (Jossed a little since).

  
It was a few months of his relative time before he ended up back on Earth again. He hadn’t meant to come here, would be perfectly content to not see Earth again for a long while. He freely admitted (to himself) that he was a coward and was running from his memories, but it felt like the right thing to do. He wasn’t needed on Earth for much now anyway.

But the sixty-third time he set the TARDIS controls to random since he last left here, Earth is exactly where he ended up. Cardiff, specifically. He sighed as he looked at the monitor on the console which was showing he was once again parked right in front of the water tower in Roald Dahl Plass.

“Trying to tell me something, old girl?”

The TARDIS doors opened on their own.

He took the hint. Sighing again, he grabbed his coat and headed out into the bright sunshine. It _would_ be a lovely day when he was in no mood for it.

He knew Torchwood was now devoid of its Doctor-detector, since he’d reacquired his hand and that hand subsequently grew into another version of him who he left with the love of his life in a parallel universe, but still, he wasn’t surprised to hear Jack’s voice behind him.

“Doctor.”

He turned to face his old friend, and gave him the standard salutation, “Captain.”

Jack scanned the surrounding area quickly. “You’re alone?”

“Yep.” He tried to sound casual, to not clench his jaw.

A frown of confusion lightly touched Jack’s features. “Where’s… everyone?”

“Gone.”

Jack’s frown deepened, but then he nodded. “Right. So are you just here to refuel or do you want to talk about it?”

“Not particularly. But there are some things you should probably know, and my ship doesn’t seem keen on letting me leave here for a bit.”

“The Hub?” Jack offered, gesturing to the hidden lift he was still standing on.

He shook his head. “Pub.”

Jack looked surprised at this but readily followed him as he began to walk away from the TARDIS.

 

> > >

 

It was a weekday, mid-afternoon and the pub wasn’t crowded. Jack watched from the bar as the Doctor immediately went to a table. Not a shady one in one of the empty corners like he might have expected, but a small empty table in the middle, flooded with sunlight and flanked with people on either side. He bought them both drinks and put in an order for a basket of chips before joining the Doctor at the table.

“Bought you a drink,” he said with a grin as he slid into the hard wooden chair.

The Doctor smirked, catching the reference. “That’s water,” he said.

“Sparkling!” he defended.

A hint of a true smile crossed the Doctor’s face, but it was gone quickly. “Thanks, Jack.”

He didn’t want to press him; the Doctor clearly had a lot on his mind. So he sat quietly and waited. The Doctor would talk when he was ready. But his curiosity was eating at him. Where were they? Rose and Donna and… the other Doctor? Could it have been a lifetime already? He found it hard to believe they’d never visit, or never randomly run into trouble somewhere nearby for what, sixty years? They couldn’t have stayed away from Earth for that long, and the Doctor wouldn’t cross his own timeline, so there was only one thing that made sense. It hadn’t been very long at all. Probably the same amount of time as relative time here on Earth. Not more than a couple months. And the way he’d said the word ‘gone,’ well, he didn’t mean they’d popped down to Tesco to buy some milk; they were _gone_.

Since the Doctor wasn’t exactly being forthcoming, he decided to open the conversation as neutrally as possible, “You said there were things I should know?”

“Ah, yes.” He took a swig of his water, looking like he was preparing himself. “It’s about Donna.”

“That sounds ominous. Is she all right?”

“Oh, yes, yes, she’s fine. She’s here. On Earth, I mean, not here here, here in Cardiff. In Chiswick, with her family.”

“Okay…” he said a little unsurely. If Donna was okay, and back with her family, why did that need reporting back to him? He felt the Doctor expected it, so he tried his hand at a joke. “What happened, did she get in the way of sexy TARDIS hijinks?”

The Doctor snorted bitterly. “No Jack. And not that it’s any of your business, but there were no hijinks to be had. _They_ were gone even before Donna.”

What? Had Rose and the other Doctor run off together? That he could absolutely not believe. What the hell _happened_?

“Doctor,” he said, trying not to raise his voice with people so close, “you’re being cryptic. What do I need to know about Donna? What happened to Rose and the other you?”

The Doctor eyed him severely, and then sighed. He slid his eyes to either side of their table. The couple to the right had gone and apparently deciding the pub’s other nearby patrons were paying him no mind, he spoke. “She doesn’t remember anything.”

“Donna?”

“Yes, Donna,” he said impatiently. But he took a deep breath before continuing. “She was dying, Jack. It was too much for her. The metacrisis… There was nothing else I could do.”

“But then… you did it,” he said, working it out out loud. “You took her memories?” He tried to keep accusation out of his tone, but even after all this time, stealing memories was still a pretty sore subject for him.

“Yes. To save her life. There can’t be a human-Time Lord-metacrisis. Her brain couldn’t handle a Time Lord consciousness. So everything to do with me or the TARDIS or anything we’d done or seen together–all gone. Like we’d never met.”

Jack gaped at him.

He continued, “So should you see her, though I don’t imagine why you would, she won’t know you or me or anything about saving the earth from Daleks.”

“And if someone tells her?”

“You can’t. She can’t ever know. If her memories are sufficiently triggered, she’d be in the same spot. She’d die.”

“Isn’t that incredibly dangerous?”

The Doctor nodded. “But it’ll hold as long as no one mentions me. I’ve explained it all to her family. Now I’m telling you. You’ll pass the word along. As long as she doesn’t remember, she’ll be fine.”

Their chips arrived and Jack absently snatched one as he sat back, taking it all in. That couldn’t have been easy for the Doctor. Donna loved travelling with him, and she loved all the new knowledge in her head; it’d been instantly apparent. He doubted the Doctor had given her a choice. What would have Donna chosen anyway? Death or… normal life? He’d probably have chosen for her the same as the Doctor did. He couldn’t begrudge him this. Then something else occurred to him.

“Doctor if there can’t be a human-Time Lord-metacrisis, then what about–?”

“He’s fine.”

“Fine?” But gone?

“Yes. He’s a whole lot more Time Lord than human. His brain is almost all me, and has no problem with my memories. He’s got one heart, he’ll age and die, but he’ll be fine. With Rose.”

Jack’s head swam. “He’s got… what? And _where_?”

“Doesn’t matter,” the Doctor said around a chip. “You needed to know about Donna, so nothing further happens to her. Now you know. So I think we’re about done.” He swallowed the last of his water and began to stand.

Jack grabbed his wrist and stilled him. “We’ve got most of this basket of chips, Doc, and you’ve got a story to tell. So sit down and tell me what happened to them.” From the waves of guilt and sorrow emanating from the Doctor, Jack took a guess. The other Doctor and Rose hadn’t just _left_ him. “Doctor, what did you _do_?”

 

> > >

 

Jack sat quietly as he related the whole tale. As he explained in detail what his duplicate was, and why he chose to leave him and Rose in Pete’s World. Even though he knew Jack would read a lot between the lines, he tried to keep from getting too personal, only explained that they could have a relatively normal life together, and might even travel the stars again, if the TARDIS chunk he’d given him managed to grow to maturity. But they’d be together, age together, and most importantly, Rose would be happy.

Jack blinked. “You do realize what she went through to get back, right?” was the first thing he said.

He nodded, slightly, eyes on the table.

“And you think she’ll be happy? Without you?” Jack asked.

“She has him.” He’d have thought that was obvious.

“You LOVE her.”

“So does he.”

Jack was quiet for moment. Then he stood and tossed the chip that had been in his hand back in the basket. “I’m getting us proper drinks,” he said.

He wondered if Jack would ever forgive him if he took the opportunity to slip out of the pub unnoticed. Jack had forgiven him far worse, after all. But he owed it to him to stick around. And maybe he owed it to himself. Who would understand losing people you love better than Jack Harkness?

Jack returned, sliding a small glass half full with dark amber liquid to him across the table. They raised their glasses to each other in silent salute and he took a mouthful of the burning drink.

“There. Liquid courage,” Jack said. “Now tell me the truth.”

“What? I’ve been telling you nothing _but_ truth.”

“No, you told me why he’d be good for Rose, not why _you_ gave her up.”

It was his turn to gape. “I…” he searched for a way to explain and then fell back on the same line. “She’d grow old, Jack, _die_. While I didn’t. You must know what that’s like.”

“I do, Doctor, and I know it can be horrible. And I know it can be _worth it_.” He emphasised those two words with thumps of his glass on the table. “And I also know you were perfectly willing to accept Rose’s mortality before. Least, that’s the impression I got. What changed?”

“Nothing!”

Jack squinted at him, unsatisfied with the answer.

“Nothing changed in me, Jack. I want Rose,” he admitted, because maybe the drink _was_ giving him courage, “I’ll always want her. But she’d never accept second best to a life with me before. Now she doesn’t have to.”

Jack gave him a hard look. “Bullshit,” he pronounced.

“Excuse me?”

“Bull. Shit,” he repeated. “You’re still not answering. Want me to enlighten you?”

He was again struck by the intense desire to walk out of the pub. A heart-to-heart about this was the last thing he’d wanted when he stepped out of the TARDIS doors. But if Jack thought he had him so figured out, well… he might as well listen to the man before he told him he had no idea what he was talking about. He took the last swallow of his drink and then leaned back, making a broad gesture with his arms. “Oh by all means, enlighten me.” It came out sounding far more bitter than he’d intended.

“Davros,” Jack simply said.

“What?” he spit out at the hated name.

“He taunted you with lies and you believed him. Called us weapons, murderers.”

“No. I defended you, all of you.”

“You _believed_ him, Doctor.” Jack insisted. “And that’s why you gave Rose up. It’s twofold: One,” he raised finger, “You believed him, you think you damage us–turn us into killers–and that keeping her with you would further damage _her_. Two,” he held up another finger, “you believed him, _him_ –a psychotic alien in a pushchair–and he made you so ashamed of yourself that you feel like you _deserve_ the punishment of a life without her. And that’s–”

“Bullshit?”

“Yes!” Jack nearly shouted.

He lowered his eyes to the table again, no longer able to meet his friend’s gaze, to acknowledge the truth in his words. For a third, maybe fourth time, the desire to flee came upon him, and this time he didn’t shove it aside. Instead he let Jack’s accusing expression go unanswered and rose slowly from the table and methodically walked out of the pub. The sun was lower now, casting long shadows, and he thanked the turn of the Earth. This light far better suited his mood.

 

> > >

 

Jack sighed as he got up to go after the Doctor. So maybe he deserved the tongue lashing, but the man was in pain and he’d gone and made it worse. He should make sure he was okay before letting him fly off in the TARDIS.

“Doctor,” he said, catching up with him outside, “I’m sorry.”

The Doctor kept walking, not acknowledging him. “Did you hear me?” he tried again.

They were almost back to the TARDIS before the Doctor spoke. “You think you know,” he spat out, turning on him suddenly. “You think you know what it’s like to be me because you’re immortal. You have your piece of Earth and your family and you take care of it and them, and you’re to be commended for it Jack, but you don’t _know_ me. Don’t know what it means to be a Time Lord, to be the last of them. I’ve a _job_ to do, it isn’t a choice or a luxury, it’s who I _am_.”

“But–“ he started, but was cut off by the Doctor’s upheld palm.

“My turn to speak now. I don’t get to _keep_ people I love Jack, it doesn’t work that way. Everyone leaves, some way or another. Donna, Rose, even _him_. They were human, and under the best of circumstances I’d watch them grow old and die. So what does it matter what I believe, what I think I deserve? They all lived, they’ll all get second chances at happiness. _That’s_ what matters.”

How the hell could you reason with that? He went with his gut.

“ _You_ matter, you great big, stubborn alien!” He cringed that he couldn’t come up with a better insult in the heat of the moment, but went on anyway. “Your happiness matters!”

The Doctor stared at him, eyes moist, dark, and intense, but then he cracked a smile, raising his eyebrows. “Great big stubborn alien?”

“Shut up.”

“No, really, that’s the best you could come up with? Haven’t you had centuries to come up with insults for me? Honestly Jack, I’m disappointed.”

He smiled in spite of himself. Then he laughed outright. “Well _I_ love you, you know, Doctor. And I might not travel with you anymore, but you’re still not getting rid of me that easily. I’m always gonna be around.”

“Yeah Jack, I know you will be.” He paused, seemingly lost in his thoughts for a few moments. He looked towards the sky for a moment, squinting into the sun and then caught his eye again. “Thanks,” he finally said.

Jack pulled him into a hug and the thinner man’s body seemed to almost collapse into it in relief. God, when was the last time someone held him? Was it Rose? He said he’d left her without a goodbye. Poor bastard.

He thought back, as the Doctor continued to cling to him. There was a round of hugs after saving the earth, and then saying goodbye… Was it Sarah Jane then, or...?

“Doctor,” he said into the other man’s shoulder, “Mickey is going to _kill_ you.”

 

FIN

* * *

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
This story archived at <http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=25120>


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